Bob Bradley says he still has confidence he can turn things around at Swansea City.

There seems to be very few at the Liberty Stadium right now who might share Bradley's optimism.

Because all Boxing Day did was provide the punch in the gut that no-one wanted, the stomach churning reality that, as much as he might claim he will still fight on, this one is a losing battle.

It remains to be seen whether the one or two that might still believe in Bradley's belief sit on the club's board, but they would have been left in no doubt after this latest drubbing what the supporters' view is.

Chairman Huw Jenkins left his seat with stewards watching his back and cries for the manager's head – and of general fan discontent – ringing in his ears. It was loud enough for any American beam-back to register with watching shareholders in the States too.

Read More

The manager accepted discussions over his future will now take place but that he won't give up on the challenge he committed to. Indeed, Bradley may have offered up more defiance than the latest defence selected mustered, but he wasn't daft enough to try and make excuses for this latest embarrassment.

A reason for renewed belief going towards 2017 was all most Swansea fans had wanted for Christmas, but yet only saw yet more gift wrapped presents delivered for West Ham in front of goal. Less festive cheer and more Ho-Ho-Hopeless.

There is an element of sympathy for the manager in terms of trying to make the best of the hand he has been dealt, but the defensive record is simply indefensible. Four shipped on this occasion, it took the tally to 29 in the 11 games under Bradley. Perhaps more damning is the fact that there have been three goals or more conceded in eight of those 11 games.

Read More

You could have the sharpest strikers around at the other end, but any team giving opponents that kind of joy will suffer.

Swansea's players know it too, crumbling the moment the first was conceded. As they did against West Brom. As they did against Middlesbrough. A devastating de ja vu.

And the fact that they had looked promising before West Ham's opener – scored, predictably, by former Swan Andre Ayew in his first goal for his new club – is becoming a bad joke. They too had shown positives in those last two away games before folding feebly.

It took West Ham until the 50th minute to grab the second, the standard set-piece goal conceded via Winston Reid heading home a corner, but every time they moved forward you could sense the nerves and indecision around the team as much as you could feel the anxiety and anger around the ground.

Former Swan Andre Ayew puts West Ham 1-0 up (Image: Getty Images)

Read More

The calls for wanting Bradley out were heard long before Michail Antonio almost unwittingly made it three via a deflection and, after Fernando Llorente's consolation amid ironic cheers, Andy Carroll grabbed his customary goal against Swansea.

Basic defending was not good enough proving the notion that no matter who is picked at the back, they make the same errors that have led to distrust from teammates.

Mike van der Hoorn was picked to try and cope with Carroll but allowed Carroll to peel off and jump above the aerially weak Angel Rangel without a care in the world.

Midfielders would rush back to deal with West Ham counters, flooding bodies to the effort but only serving to leave claret shirts free behind them, thus creating even more problem.

Read More

And the attack line looked confused. Borja was selected to provide mobility but Swansea just don't seem convinced or capable of creating anything clear cut.

Once again, all eyes turn to Gylfi Sigurdsson but he saw Darren Randolph equal to his best two attempts and even the Iceman couldn't influence.

Even if he could, the harsh truth is that there are not enough good enough players around him to make a difference.

Still, if there was little foundation to claims that Bradley's training ground methods have been questioned, there was once again so very, very little to see that the very minimum in solid foundations have been laid.

Read More

There are plenty who did not want to see Bradley at the Liberty in the first place, regardless of opinions on Francesco Guidolin, but while some of the criticism has been knee-jerk, when it matters most on the pitch there has simply been not enough to defend the defending.

In contrast, Slaven Bilic did suggest it would be “crazy” for Swansea to sack a second manager in a season. Granted, it is easy for him to say such things in the warm glow of a result that pushes himself further away from the sacking spotlight, and it could well be the manager's union in action, but there were points to his statement. There was still a willingness to get on the ball and there was still a fight in some players as they refused to give up. Leon Britton, once more, take a bow.

But it is all worthless when it counts for nothing, the energy not channelled properly into meaningful moments in games.

What it all means for Bradley now is likely to be up to others rather than himself, even if 2016 ends with victory over Bournemouth.

Because the confidence that he – or anyone else, for that matter – can turn Swansea City's season around is sadly, badly missing.